The Walking Dead Betrayed Me: Recap of “Spend” S5E14

The Walking Dead, you have betrayed me. I expected this #(*^&# from Game of Thrones, but … but this? SPOILERS up to the latest episode below.

Let me paint you a picture. I’ve had a tough few weeks. Job loss, frantically searching for a new job and just getting lots of rejections, querying a novel with lots of rejections, a health scare (that turned out ok, no thanks to YOU The Walking Dead), etc… You get the picture. Now, I know TWD is stressful and gory. I’m prepared for that. But I settled in for some escapism. I’ll forget my problems, focus on other things, and be swept away in great writing…

Oh I got swept away… Swept away into terrible death and GORE RIVALING GAME OF THRONES. I mean, it was like the producers said: “Hey! We can’t say @#*# on this cable channel, so we’re going to do EVERY OTHER UNSPEAKABLY HORRIBLE THING ON THE SCREEN INSTEAD. In *this* episode.” Yes, caps were necessary.

Of course, I’ll tune in next week, right on time. (SPOILERS below guys!)

Why??????????????????????????

Noah was killed. Not just killed, but he was senselessly, grotesquely, eaten alive in front of Glenn. Glenn was forced to watch. We all were. (Well, I averted my eyes. Every time I glanced back, it was getting worse. It was a long scene.)

They made his death worse by having him plan a future shortly before he died. Writing touching things in his journal. Kind of like Maggie being told Beth was alive, only to then have her dead.

Which brings me to my next point.

Now Beth’s Death is Senseless

Beth’s death was hard enough. She had so much promise and potential. She sacrificed herself so that Noah could escape. Heck, she did it TWICE. And what happened? Oh ya, Noah died about a week later anyway.

Let that sink in for a moment. Not only did Noah die grotesquely, but Beth’s death was twisted in retrospect. Ugh.

So. Much. Gore.

Aiden died in a terrible, terrible way too. I figured that was enough gore for one episode and I was safe. But I was wrong.

So What is the Moral Message?

I feel like The Walking Dead is giving “greater meaning” a big middle finger. Good people and bad people die. Sacrifices are worthless because they’re all gonna die anyway (maybe the townspeople were actually right…) Nothing matters. I bet Morgan, whom we’ve all been waiting for, will finally show up and get shot after his first scene with Rick. Just saying.

Oh, and let’s not forget the useless people who miraculously live, like Gabriel. Ugh. Why is that traitor still around? If anyone’s a devil disguised as an angel of light, it’s HIM.

Stephanie Dwilson started Post Apocalyptic Media with her husband Derek. Her favorite shows of all-time are Battlestar Galactica and Lost, and she's always happy to talk about her cats. :) She sometimes posts stuff on her personal
blog too.